The Plumbline

Light, space, zest—that’s God! So, with him on my side I’m fearless, afraid of no one and nothing... I’m sure now I’ll see God’s goodness in the exuberant earth. Stay with God! Take heart. Don’t quit. I’ll say it again: Stay with God. (Psalm 27:1, 13) Begin with God, and we will surely end well! I wonder what could happen within our days if we'd make a conscious effort to begin with God and then at the end of the day begin to recount the things of our day in the light of what he brought us through, showed us, and even kept us from experiencing some harshness just because of his awesome oversight? Beginnings often differ from endings, do they not? Some of us begin quite well, ending with less than stellar performance. Others begin on a little bit of a shaky footing but somehow end pretty well considering how we began. One thing I believe God wants for us is the certainty of beginning well AND the reward of ending well. If we consider there is a whole lot of "in between...

"What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." (T. S. Eliot) What ends have become your new beginnings? One of the most fearful places to be is at the "end" - for the "end" requires one to either choose a new beginning, or to settle for a place of stagnancy. Either way, there is something to be "feared" as one approaches the "end" of any matter. As my BFF and I were sitting at lunch the other day, we began to contemplate just how near retirement was for each of us. Not too awfully long ago, I was just "starting out" in my career as a nurse, and in about the blink of an eye, here I was contemplating what the next six years might bring before "retirement" age was reached. It is kind of scary to think about occupying my time with new ventures, while at the same time it is rather exciting. In the end, I will choose to "end" one thing...